Score
Scoring is cutting shallow slits into the surface of a food, often in a crosshatch or diamond pattern, without cutting all the way through. The cuts are decorative in part but mostly functional. On meat and fish they let heat, seasoning, and rendered fat move more freely, and on breads they control how the loaf expands as it bakes.
Cooks score for several practical reasons. Slashing the fat cap on a ham or duck breast in a diamond pattern helps the fat render and lets a glaze soak in. Shallow cuts across a thick fish fillet help it cook evenly and stop it curling. Bakers score bread dough just before it goes in the oven so it opens along the cut instead of bursting randomly. Keep the slits shallow and use a sharp blade so you guide the food rather than tearing it.
Cooks score for several practical reasons. Slashing the fat cap on a ham or duck breast in a diamond pattern helps the fat render and lets a glaze soak in. Shallow cuts across a thick fish fillet help it cook evenly and stop it curling. Bakers score bread dough just before it goes in the oven so it opens along the cut instead of bursting randomly. Keep the slits shallow and use a sharp blade so you guide the food rather than tearing it.